Lady Gaga released a phenomenal album on March 7. “Mayhem,” returning to her signature sound of dark-pop. The album, featuring songs with appearances from Gesaffelstein and Bruno Mars, is her seventh studio album.
As Gaga has stated in interviews with BBC, The Rolling Stone and the New York Times, this album confronted her fears of returning to dark-pop.
“Maybe the last four or so albums I’ve made, I moved away from that and tried some different things, but this was a return to those Gothic dreams,” Gaga said in an interview with The Rolling Stone.
The album features 14 songs, three of which have previously been released prior to the album release.
Starting off the album, “Disease” sets the introductory sound for the rest of the album. This song sits at a cozy 101 beats per minute and talks about themes of inner darkness and facing that inner darkness. It is the perfect way to start off the album.
“Abracadabra” is perhaps one of the best songs on this album. The last song released before the album came out, it shows Gaga’s unique dark-pop theme and the return to it. You can definitely hear the same sound as previous songs from her first few albums.
“Garden of Eden” is another song that shows off Gaga’s unique sound. The song includes heavy bass and
fantastic backing vocals on top of her own. This is an
incredible release.
“Perfect Celebrity” explores the positives and negatives of being famous. This song is slower than some of the previous few, sitting at 104 beats per minute. It’s a great song with a great meaning.
“Vanish Into You” is a song about emotional attachment, connection and memory. This is another incredible song on the album and is one of the best.
Probably the most unique song on the album, “Killah” is an industrial techno funk song. It definitely has its place in the album, but it’s not the best song. The song deviates from the album and is a bit jarring. Regardless, it’s still a good song.
“Zombieboy” is arguably one of the three best songs of the album. The song pays tribute to Gaga’s late friend Rick Genest, who passed away in 2018. The song features a phenomenal guitar track and intense progression, making it an easy contender for the top three.
“LoveDrug” is another song that is one of the best three. The song discusses addiction and love being that addiction. It is another incredible listen and competes with “Zombieboy” for a top three contender.
“How Bad Do U Want Me” is another one of the songs on the playlist that doesn’t seem to fit in with the other melodies included. There’s not much to say about this one, but it’s still a good song.
“Don’t Call Tonight” talks about the emotional turmoil that can exist in a relationship. This is a decent song, which also sounds like a sequel to “Alejandro,” a song from Gaga’s third album, “The Fame Monster.”
“Shadow Of A Man” is another personal favorite from this album. The song centers around personal liberation and has an upbeat tune and tempo.
The Beast is also one of the songs that doesn’t seem to fit into this album. The tempo is a lot calmer than the other songs but still features powerful instrumentals. Regardless, it’s still a good song, but doesn’t seem to resonate well upon listening to the whole album.
“Blade Of Grass,” the second to last song of the album, is a love song about Michael Polansky, Gaga’s real-life fiance. The blade of grass mentioned in the song is used as a symbol for an engagement ring. The song is another incredible addition to the album.
“Die With A Smile” is the final track of the album. This song features Bruno Mars and is arguably the best song included on this album. It’s an incredible song to end the album, talking about the fear of the unknown, loss and love. Released in August 2024, the song came out before “Disease” and “Abracadabra.”
The album is definitely worth a listen and all of the songs will find their own places in the playlists of listeners. It is a worthy addition to Gaga’s discography.
